Hand telephone mounting



March 24, 1 942 o. M. VAUGHAN 2,277,280

HAND TELEPHONE MOUNTING I Filed Aug. 51, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORBY Erie Ua-u vhan VA'TTORNEYE March 24, 1942. o. MVAUGHAN 2,277,280

HAND TELEPHONE MOUNTING Filed Aug. 31, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 24,1942. o, M, VAQ HAN 2,277,280

'HAND TELEPHONE MOUNTING Filed Aug. 31, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IZN c'NTORI -Ur e7 Uaughan M'WATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 24, 1942 UNHTED STATES FATE OFFICE HAND TELEPHONE MOUNTINGApplication August 31, 1940, Serial No. 355,063

6 Claims. (Cl. 179-146) The present invention relates to mountings fortelephones and more particularly to desk mountings for hand telephones.A mounting of this type conventionally comprises a supporting base, apedestal and a cradle structure carried by the pedestal, which structureis provided with a cradle switch and is adapted to support a handtelephone or handset of the well-known Monophone type. Variousarrangements have been proposed in the past for adapting a motmting ofthis type for support upon a vertical surface, but all such arrangementsrequire mechanical or structural alteration of the mounting parts inorder to adapt the cradle structure for the support of the handtelephone when the mounting is supported upon both horizontal andvertical surfaces.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a handtelephone mounting of the character described, which is structurallyarranged for supportupon a horizontal surface, such, for example, as adesk top, and may be adapted for support upon a vertical surface, such,for example, as a wall, withoutany modification or alteration of theparts of the mounting.

It is another object of the invention toprovidea hand telephone mountingof the character described, which embodies an improved arrangement ofsimple and rugged construction for adapting the mounting for the supportof the hand telephone regardless of whether the mounting is supportedupon a horizontal or vertical surface.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved Walladapter attachment for a hand telephone mounting of the characterdescribed, which may be applied to a hand telephone mounting of standardconstruction without in any way altering the parts of the mountmg.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is provided a handtelephone mounting, which includes a cradle structure comprising meansdefining a cradle for supporting a hand telephone when the mounting issupported upon a substantially horizontal surface, and additional meansdefining a cradle for supporting the hand telephone when the mounting issupported upon a substantially vertical surface. or auxiliary cradlemeans comprises extensions of the two rearwardly disposed cradle tines,these extensions being provided with aligned cradle seat surfacesdisposed substantially at right angles to the cradle seat surfaces ofthe cradle This additional well-known Monophone type.

used for supporting the hand telephone when the mounting is supportedupon a horizontal surface. The mounting further comprises switchoperating elements in the form of plungers extending within the base andincluding portions disposed to be controlled in accordance with theremoval of the hand telephone from either of the two cradles, and thereplacement of the hand telephone upon either of the two cradles.

The novel features believed to be characteristic of the invention areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, bothas to its organization and method of operation, together with furtherobjects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference tothe specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hand telephone mounting towhich the invention may be applied; Fig. 2 is a side sectional View ofthe mounting shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the handtelephone mounting shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the invention embodiedtherein; Fig. 4 is an end view, partially in section, of the mountingshown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a detail view of dial supporting bracketmember illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a deskmounting or support II] for a hand telephone or handset II of the Thehand telephone II is preferably of the improved form disclosed andclaimed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,205,906, granted June 25,1940, Herbert F. Obergfell. Briefly described, the mounting I0 comprisesa supporting base I2, a pedestal I3 and a cradle II-l, which includestwo spaced apart and upwardly extending cradle members I5 and IS. Thepedestal I3 is provided with front and rear upwardly and inwardlyextending walls I! and I8, converging slightly forwardly of the cradleI4, a top wall I9 extending between the front and rear walls I1 and I8,and upwardly extending side walls formed by the cradle members I5 andI6. The top and rear walls I9 and I8, respectively, of the pedestal I3,and the cradle members I5 and I6 are so constructed and arranged that acontinuously substantially channel shaped recess is provided in the topand rear of the pedestal I3. Aligned cradle seats 2| and 22 are providedin the cradle members I5 and I6, respectively, the cradle seat 2|provided in the cradle member I5 being disposed between spaced apart andupwardly extending front and rear tines 23 and 24, respectively; and thecradle seat 22 being disposed between spaced apart and upwardlyextending front and rear tines 25 and 26, respectively. The cradle seats2| and 22 provided in the cradle members l5 and I6 have recesses formedtherein, into which two metal inserts 21 and 28 are securely positionedby means of assembly screws 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d. These metal insertsare provided with openings therethrough, through which the two cradleswitch operating plungers 29 and 30, respectively, extend. It will beunderstood that these plungers are the switch operating elements for thediagrammatically illustrated cradle switch 9 mounted within the base l2.This cradle switch may be of any desired commercial construction,although, preferably, is of the form disclosed in copending applicationSerial No. 220,735, Herbert F. Obergfell, filed July 22, 1938. Themounting I0 may also be provided with a calling device in the form of adial controlled impulse transmitter 3|, which, in the normal arrangementof the mounting, extends through an opening 3|a provided in the frontwall I! of the pedestal and is secured to a bracket 3|b extendingbetween two mounting projections 32 and 33 of the mounting structure, inthe manner disclosed in the above-mentioned copending application. Whenthis mounting arrangement is used, the top of the body portion of thecalling device 3| is substantially flush with the top surface of thefront wall whereby the dial of the device is disposed at the properangle for easy manipulation thereof when the mounting is supported upona substantially horizontal surface.

The operating elements of the instrument, aside from the handset and theabove-mentioned calling device, are disposed within the base andpedestal portion of the mounting. Preferably, these elements, whichinclude a ringer 55, an induction coil 56, the cradle switch mechanism 9and one or more condensers, are mounted and arranged in the mannerdisclosed in the abovementioned Obergfell application. As thus arranged,certain of the elements, principally the ringer 55, are supported upon abase plate 34 which is secured to the base portion of the mounting bymeans of assembly screws 35 and 36.

In the normal use of the instrument, the mounting is supported upon ahorizontal surface, such, for example, as the top of a desk or table.With the mounting in this position, the cradle switch plungers 29 and 30extend upwardly and are controlled in accordance with the removal of thehandset H from the cradle seats 2| and 22, and the replacement of thehandset upon these cradle seats in a manner well understood in the art.More specifically, the plungers 29 and 30 are spring biased to assumethe normal or closed-circuit positions illustrated in Fig. 1 of thedrawings when the handle of the handset is removed from the cradle, andare moved downwardly to their offnormal or open-circuit operatingpositions by the weight of the handset when the handset is replaced uponthe cradle seats.

In order to adapt the mounting, as described above, for use whensupported upon a substantially vertical surface, such, for example, as awall, it is necessary to make provisions for supporting the handset inoperative relationship with the cradle switch plungers 29 and 3|! whenthe handset is not in use. To this end, and in accordance with thepresent invention, an auxiliary cradle structure is provided, whichcomprises two detachable extensions 31 and 38, which are respectivelymounted above the rearwardly disposed cradle structure tines 24 and 25.These extensions are preferably formed of metal by die-casting or thelike, and respectively comprise supporting portions and retaining tinesarranged to define a cradle seat surface therebetween. Thus, theextension 31 is provided with a retaining prong 37a and a supportingportion 31b having formed therebetween a cradle seat surface 3'|c. Thiscradle seat surface is aligned with the corresponding surface of theextension 38 so that the cradle thus formed is substantiallyperpendicular to the cradle seat extending between the tines of thecradle structure It. Further, the retaining prong 31a and thecorresponding prong of the extension 38 are provided with inner sidewalls so sloped as to force the handset handle against the plungers 29and 30, thereby to depress these plungers when the hand telephone issupported on the cradle provided by the extensions 31 and 38.

In order to adapt the extensions 31 and 38 for attachment to themounting l0 without in any way altering the parts of this mounting, eachof the extensions is provided with a recessed portion adapted to receiveone of the tines of the cradle structure l4. Thus, the extension 3'! isprovided with a cutout portion 3101, which is shaped to receive therearwardly disposed tine 24 of the cradle structure l4. The supportingportion 31b of the extension 31 is provided with an opening therethroughfor slidably receiving the plunger 29. This supporting portion of theextension 31 is so shaped and dimensioned that it seats within therecessed portion of the cradle seat 2| More specifically, the portion31b of the extension 3! is provided with a recess 316 along the outeredge thereof, which is of such depth that the main body of thesupporting portion 31b may be substituted directly for the metal insert21 normally provided in the cradle seat 2| to receive the assemblyscrews 20a and 20b. Further, the portion 31b of the extension 31 isdrilled and tapped at appropriate points so that the assembly screws20a. and 2012 may be threaded into the tapped drill holes to provide arigid assembly. It will be understood that the supporting portion of theother extension 38 is similarly constructed so that it may besubstituted directly for the metal insert 28 normally provided in thecradle seat 2|. For the purpose of lightening the structure of the twoextensions 31 and 38, each thereof is provided with an opening in thehidden or underside thereof, these openings being indicated at 31 and38/, respectively.

In order more conveniently to position the calling device 3| for usewhen the mounting I0 is supported upon a vertical surface an auxiliarybracket structure is provided. This structure comprises a bracket member4|] formed of metal or a molded phenolic condensation product, such, forexample, as Bakelite, which is best illustrated in Fig. 5 of thedrawings. This member is provided with a cup-shaped recess 40a withinwhich the body portion of the calling device 3| is disposed. The bottomwall of the recess 40a is provided with an opening therein through whichthe bottom portions of the mechanism of the calling device 3| mayextend. The calling device 3| is secured within the cup-shaped recess40a by means of assembly screws 4|. The skirt of the bracket member 40is cut awayat 40b around a portion of its outer surface and the upperportion of the skirt is flared slightly in order to provide a tiltedseating surface which rests against the outer surface of the mountingwall I1. Further, the side surface of the recess 40b, in cooperationwith the mounting projection 400 of the member 40 and the edge of theopening Sla, serves fixedly to position the member 40 within the opening3la. In order to retain the bracket member 40 in its assembled position,two bracket pieces 42 and 43, respectively carried by the mountingprojections 32 and 33, are provided. More specifically, the bracketpiece 43 is mounted upon the projection 33 by means of an assembly screw44 and is secured to the bracket member 40 by means of an assembly screw44a. The bracket piece 42 is threaded upon the end of the stud screw 35aand is provided with a reversely bent portion having an openingtherethrough for receiving an assembly screw 45 which is threaded intothe projection 400 of the bracket member 40. With this arrangement, thefront or upper end of the calling device Si is elevated slightly tofacilitate operation of the device and to render more easily readablethe digit values inscribed upon the body portion of the device adjacentthe finger receiving holes of the dial. It will be understood that inadapting the mounting for usewhen supported upon a substantiallyvertical surface, the dial is mounted in a position which issubstantially 180 degrees displaced from the position occupied therebywhen the mounting is to be supported upon a horizontal surface, thuspositioning the finger stop of the calling device at the lower edge ofthe dial rather than at the upper edge of the dial.

After the mounting has been modified through the provision of theextensions 31 and 38, and the addition of the bracket member 40 forsupporting the calling device 31, the mounting may be supported upon avertical surface, such, for example, as the wall 41, through theprovision of a plurality of wall brackets, two of which are indicated at48 and 49. These substantially Z-shaped brackets are each provided witha flat portion which may be inserted between the base l2 of the mountingand the base plate 34 to be clamped between these two elements when theassembly screws 35 and 36 are screwed into place. Preferably, eachbracket piece is provided with an opening through which one of the baseplate assembly screws extends. These bracket pieces may be rigidlysecured to the wall 4'! by means of screws 50 and El. It will beunderstood that after the mounting H1 is adapted for use on a verticalsupporting surface in the manner explained above, the cradle switchplungers 29 and 30 are operated between their two operating positions inresponse to the removal of the handset from the cradle formed by thecradle seat 310 and the corresponding cradle seat of the extension 38and the replacement of the handset upon this cradle. In this regard itis pointed out that the supporting portion 31b of the extension 37 andthe corresponding supporting portion of the extension 38 are of suchthickness as to prevent the handset handle from becoming lodged orwedged underneath the forwardlydisposed cradle tines 23 and 25.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be thepreferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood thatvarious modifications may be made therein, and it is contemplated tocover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the invention.

l. A mounting for a hand telephone, comprising a base, a cradlestructure integral with said base and comprising means defining a cradleadapted for use in supporting a hand telephone when said mounting issupported upon a substantially horizontal surface, an auxiliary cradlestructure defining a cradle for supporting said hand telephone when saidmounting is supported upon a substantially vertical surface, means fordetachably mounting said auxiliary cradle structure upon saidfirst-named cradle structure, and a switch operating element disposed tobe controlled in accordance with the removal of said hand telephone fromeither of said cradles and the replacement of said hand telephone uponeither of said cradles.

2. A mounting for a hand telephone, comprising a base, a cradlestructure integral with said base and comprising tines defining a firstcradle seat adapted for use in supporting a hand telephone when saidmounting is supported upon a substantially horizontal surface, two ofsaid tines being provided with extended portions defining a secondcradle seat substantially perpendicular to said first cradle seat andoperative to support said hand telephone when said mounting is supportedupon a substantially vertical surface, and a switch operating elementdisposed to be controlled in accordance with the removal of said handtelephone from either of said cradle seats and the replacement of saidhand telephone upon either of said cradle seats.

3. A mounting for a hand telephone comprising a base, a cradle structureintegral with said base and comprising tines defining a cradle adaptedfor use in supporting a hand telephone when said mounting is suppotredupon a substantially horizontal surface, an auxiliary cradle structuremounted upon said first-named cradle structure and comprising a pair ofmembers each provided with a tine the inner surface of which terminatesin a cradle seat surface, said members being so arranged that the cradleseat surfaces thereof are substantially in the plane of the inner sidesof two aligned ones of said firstnamed tines, thereby providing a cradlefor supporting said hand telephone when said mounting is supported upona substantially vertical surface, and a switch operating elementdisposed to be controlled in accordance with the removal of said handtelephone from either of said cradles and the replacement of said handtelephone upon either of said cradles.

4. A mounting for a hand telephone, comprising a base, a cradlestructure integral with said base and comprising tines defining a cradleadapted for use in supporting a hand telephone when said mounting issupported upon a substantially horizontal surface, a pair of memberseach provided with a tine having an inner surface terminating in acradle seat surface, each of said members being provided with a recessfor receiving one of said first-named tines, means for securing saidmembers to said cradle structure with the recesses thereof receiving twoaligned tines of said structure, thereby to provide a cradle comprisingthe tines of said members for supporting said hand telephone when saidmounting is supported upon a substantially vertical surface, and aswitch operating element disposed to be controlled in accordance withthe removal of said hand telephone from either of said cradles and thereplacement of said hand telephone upon either of said cradles.

5. A mounting for a hand telephone, comprising a base, a cradlestructure comprising tines defining a cradle adapted for use insupporting a hand telephone when said mounting is supported upon asubstantially horizontal surface, a pair of members each provided with atine having an inner surface terminating in a cradle seat surface and asupporting potrion shaped and dimensioned to seat upon one of the cradleseats of said cradle structure, means for mounting said members uponsaid cradle structure with the supporting portions thereof seated uponopposite ones of the cradle seats of said cradle structure, thereby toprovide a cradle for supporting said hand telephone when said mountingis supported upon a substantially vertical surface, and a switchoperating element disposed to be controlled in accordance with theremoval of said hand telephone from either of said cradles and thereplacement of said hand telephone upon either of said cradles.

6. A mounting for a hand telephone, comprising a base, a cradlestructure carried by said base and comprising tines arranged in pairs todefine aligned cradle seats adapted for use in supporting a handtelephone when said mounting is supported upon a substantiallyhorizontal surface, switch operating plungers extending through saidcradle seats to be controlled in accordance with the removal of saidhand telephone from said cradle seats and the replacement of said handtelephone upon said cradle seats, a pair of members each provided with asupporting portion and a retaining tine defining a cradle seattherebetween, the supporting portion of each of said members beingshaped and dimensioned to seat upon one of said first-named cradle seatsand being provided with an opening therein through which one of saidplungers may extend, and means for supporting said members upon saidcradle structure with the supporting portions thereof seated uponopposite ones of said cradle seats and said plungers extending throughthe openings provided therein, thereby to provide a cradle forsupporting said hand telephone in operative relationship with saidplungers when said mounting is supported upon a substantially verticalsurface.

ORLEY M. VAUGHAN.

